Death and the Wolf
by PinkWhirlWind
Summary: One shot with Duo as Death and Heero wanting to be with him.


Death and the Wolf

by Max

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing

The water pulled back, leaving heavy wet sand like unspoken anxiety under the moonlight. Farther back, slipping deeper into the lungs of the Earth, held breath, the moment before the scream swallows everything.

It wouldn't be long.

A single figure stood on the beach. Robes of fluttering silk, a dark so dark the moon would never leave the sky that alone. In his left hand, he held a scythe. The handle seemed carved, but always a work in process, shifting and swirling under and around pale fingers. Its blade of green light drank more light than it gave. It was made of last breathes that never finished. Over his head, he wore the shape of a crow, the long smooth beak gave back the most light as moonlight glinted from it's slow curves. A braid, thick to slender, of light as the dark forest's secrets wound around his right arm, the trailing tip no thicker than a paintbrush, hung between his poised fingers, the tip drawing ephemeral midnight ink on the air. It didn't last. Nothing did.

The second man ran. He scrambled down the sandy hill and towards the unnaturally empty beach. Old, his thick unruly Japanese hair white now. Boney and chewed up by time, he had to chase his breath when he reached Death. "I knew you'd be here!"

Through the crow's eyes, violet eyes watched him, blinking slowly. He tilted his head, watching still. Dark lips, rosy as youth opened for words, forgotten words. "Why are you here?"

"I," Heero said, hands on his knees, panting. His eyes were as blue as they'd been 90 years before. "I knew you'd be here."

"Fool."

"Don't be like that! I searched for you! You promised!"

Death smacked the end of his scythe against the beach. The blade roared to life, a green swirling hell. "You belong in Heaven." Inhuman, he snarled, blurring with the crow and the cry he made left a trail of glass in the sand. "I'll send you there myself!"

"You said," Heero growled back, giving no ground at all, not even when the dark soul of Death roared around him, splitting over him as if he were a boulder in a stream. He pointed a finger right at Death, blue eyes and nose twisting up. "You SAID that when you'd taken 10,000 souls to Heaven, that you could have a wolf! I am come to be your wolf!"

There was something more Duo to the roll of Death's eyes. "You are nothing but an old man. Heero Yuy could have kept up, but you're nothing but ash left as his life burned up."

"You're wrong!"

The water then had begun it's scream, so still distant, not enough of a roar to wake the town behind them.

"I'm never wrong!" Death said, arm dropping to his side as he leaned forward, so that his crow mask was between them, each of them pressed to it, so it was all there was between them. Voice sounding more like Duo, "I'm Death."

"And I'm your wolf," Heero screamed over the roar of the coming water. The wall of water hit them, flowing over both of them, without seeming to move them at all. In that thick dark world, Heero grabbed hold of Duo's fallen braid and held with all his might.

The crow form of Death broke the water, wings wide, the moon full and silver over him. Heero held.

Time held no power over Death, but the crow raced in any case. In human form for only slivers out of time, he took the form of the dearest memory of each person, breathing joy into them, as his fingers drew their soul free. Take this one. Leave that one.

Run as a man along the ridge of this roof, that. A cloud of sleeping souls followed him, but Heero held with both hands to his braid, holding it to his heart, hiding his face against the thick dark softness. He knew if he lost his grip, he'd be nothing more than one of the glowing petals following after Duo.

A mother, her unborn child, a father, a robber, a boy and the golden dog he was crying against, and a thousand others, gathered like petals in a garden. A cat and her kittens. though those he carried close to his heart, in a small velvet pouch.

Occasionally, instead of the glowing soul, what pulled free was ravenous, edges and decay, reaching in its new formed freedom for anything to consume. The scythe had work then, cleansing, a second pull until the soul came free of the sin.

The water pulled back, so much slower and the roar was more of brokeness. A chill needled into Heero's being. Nothing had meaning.

The great swarm of souls around him called him, calling out as if they'd known him for all time, old friends, old lovers, old children, all calling him to come away, let go. He could go home with them. Didn't he want to go home? Didn't he want to be with them?

He hid his face in Duo's wet braid. He held on.

Then at the edge of space, Duo stopped. To him what lay beyond was darkness, a simple sheet of black paper that he could never see beyond.

Heero, much smaller, having worn away all his energy and will so that he was no larger than a doll, crawled to Duo's shoulder and stared forward into the golden light of heaven. All love that had ever been, that could ever been was there. The souls fluttered forward, petals floating on a river of sunlight.

"Well, go on." Duo said, resigned. Wufei had gone. He'd taken Quatre and Trowa and they'd gone hand in hand. He'd waltzed Relena there, telling her jokes, calming her fears. "I hear it's beautiful."

"No." Heero said, holding on still, more exhausted than he'd ever been. He felt as if he were bone and skin alone. "You said I could be your wolf."

Duo pushed the crow mask up and turned to look at Heero on his shoulder. Eyebrows lifting, lips twisting in a 'Duh' look. "It's heaven, Heero. Don't be afraid. There's nothing bad over there. You'll live again. Everything you could ever want is over there."

"No. It's not. I won't leave you."

Then the touch of God, which Duo had seen only the day he became death, like a gentle caressing breeze flowed down Heero's face.

Standing next to Duo, full sized, full of well-being, Heero patted his face, expecting to turn into a wolf at any moment. Instead, he found a fuzzy wolf eared hat on his head. "What? What are you laughing at?"

Duo lost control and laughed outright, joy lighting him. "Oh my god! God! made Heero Yuy into a furry."

"Wait! It worked? I get to stay with you?"

"You may regret it," Duo said, his fingers touching Heero's cheek tenderly.

"Never," Heero swore, taking Duo's hand and drawing it so he could kiss his palm. "I will never regret being where I always wanted to be."

Duo blushed. His crow mask on crookedly, lower lip between his teeth, Death was out of words.

And the two of them ran home, along the horizon, a crow and a wolf racing the moon.


End file.
